Older patients' experiences with and attitudes towards an oncogeriatric pathway: A qualitative study.

Introduction: To tailor treatment for older patients with cancer, an oncogeriatric care pathway has been developed in the Leiden University Medical Center. In this care pathway a geriatric assessment is performed and preferences concerning cancer treatment options are discussed. This study aimed to explore patient experiences with and attitudes towards this pathway.

Chemotherapy-Related Toxic Effects and Quality of Life and Physical Functioning in Older Patients.

Importance: Although older patients are at increased risk of developing grade 3 or higher chemotherapy-related toxic effects, no studies, to our knowledge, have focused on the association between toxic effects and quality of life (QOL) and physical functioning.

Objective: To investigate the association between grade 3 or higher chemotherapy-related toxic effects and QOL and physical functioning over time in older patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this prospective, multicenter cohort study, patients aged 70 years or older who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy with curative or palliative intent and a geriatric assessment were included.

Geriatric assessment and treatment outcomes in a Dutch cohort of older patients with potentially curable esophageal cancer.

Background: Patients with potentially curable esophageal cancer can be treated with neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery or definitive chemoradiotherapy with curative intent. For frail older patients choosing the appropriate oncological treatment can be difficult, and data on geriatric deficits as determinants of treatment outcomes are not yet available.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of geriatric deficits and to study their association with treatment discontinuation and mortality in older patients with potentially curable esophageal cancer.

Design and rationale of a routine clinical care pathway and prospective cohort study in older patients needing intensive treatment.

Background: Treatment decisions concerning older patients can be very challenging and individualised treatment plans are often required in this very heterogeneous group. In 2015 we have implemented a routine clinical care pathway for older patients in need of intensive treatment, including a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) that was used to support clinical decision making. An ongoing prospective cohort study, the Triaging Elderly Needing Treatment (TENT) study, has also been initiated in 2016 for participants in this clinical care pathway, to study associations between geriatric characteristics and outcomes of treatment that are relevant to older patients.

Optimizing the glutamatergic challenge model for psychosis, using S+ -ketamine to induce psychomimetic symptoms in healthy volunteers.

The psychomimetic effects that occur after acute administration of ketamine can constitute a model of psychosis and antipsychotic drug action. However, the optimal dose/concentration has not been established and there is a large variety in outcome measures. In this study, 36 healthy volunteers (21 males and 15 females) received infusions of S(+)-ketamine or placebo to achieve pseudo-steady state concentrations of 180 and 360 ng/mL during two hours.